1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for searching for a device on a network in a mobile environment and, more particularly, to a device search system, device search method, image forming apparatus, and information processing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, it is possible to search for a device such as a printer connected on a network from a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or tablet, to display the found device on the mobile terminal as a client, and to allow the user to use that device. In this case, a technique such as Bonjour or WS-Discovery is used as a device search protocol. Such technique uses multicast transmissions. A requesting client distributes a search request onto a network by a multicast transmission, and a device which receives the search request returns a response, thus allowing the user to find the device on the network.
On the other hand, when a plurality of devices is found, it is difficult for the user to identify a device that he or she wants to use. That is, it is difficult to associate displayed devices and existing devices. Model names or the like of devices are displayed as search results, and such information is not sufficient for the user to identify a desired device.
Hence, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-189645discloses a technique for displaying device search results in ascending order of distance from a mobile terminal while the mobile terminal and respective device have a GPS (Global Positioning System) function. With this technique, when the user who holds the mobile terminal conducts a device search in the vicinity of a desired device, that device is display as an uppermost search result, and the user can easily identify the device.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-141620 discloses a technique for displaying, as search results, photos or movies of locations where devices are actually placed together with the found devices. This technique allows the user to easily identify a desired device from the search results.
However, even when the aforementioned techniques are used, it is still difficult for the user to identify a device that he or she wants to use when a plurality of devices are found.
The technique of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-189645 uses the GPS function. In an environment in which a plurality of devices are installed within a narrow space region, for example, in an environment in which devices are arranged at adjacent positions or on upper and lower floors, it is difficult to identify devices in terms of the precision of the GPS function. In order to surely identify a desired device, the user has to conduct a device search in the vicinity of the desired device, and this technique becomes less effective when the user wants to use a device at a remote place.
The technique of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-141620 has to prepare for photos and movies of installation locations, and requires much labor to always maintain the latest information. Also, this technique requires a rich UI required to display photos and movies as search results, and is not suitable for a mobile terminal having a small UI.